1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the gifting of digital media content and, more particularly, to various systems, methods, and electronic devices configured to perform the gifting of digital media content.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In recent years, the declining popularity of audio cassette tapes and compact discs in conjunction with the growing popularity of electronic devices capable of playing various forms of digital media content has led to a dramatic increase in the demand for downloadable digital media content. Many such digital media player devices, particular portable devices, are currently available on the market and support a wide variety of file formats that digital media files might take. For instance, downloadable digital music files are commonly provided in the following file formats, just to provide a few examples: MP3, AIFF, WAV, MPEG-4, AAC, etc.
Thus, as a result of market demands, various online digital media providers have been established and currently exist as a retailer for downloadable digital media content. Often times, downloaded media content may be received directly, on a digital media player device and immediately played back, listened to, or viewed by a user of the device. In other instances, the downloaded media content may be received on a desktop computer and subsequently transferred to a digital media player for playback. To provide one example, an online digital media provider offering the above mentioned services may be the iTunes® online service, operated by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
While the download of digital media files directly to digital media player devices from an online digital media content provider may offer a convenient and simple solution to store various digital media files in a common location for playback on demand, the transfer of such files between individuals is often times problematic due to the nature of copyright protection. For example, downloadable digital media content may be protected using a variety of digital rights management techniques, which may generally refer to access control methods used by device manufacturers, content publishers/providers, and copyright holders in order to limit usage and distribution of digital media content. This ensures that the copyright holder's rights are honored and that the copyright holder is compensated for each sale of a copyrighted digital work. Thus, the transfer of a copyright protected digital media file from one device to a separate receiving device may oftentimes result in the transferred file being unplayable or inaccessible on the receiving device.